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Miller Maxstar 200 SD Issues

I have a Miller Maxstar 200 SD, used primarily as a stick welder in a boiler service company. It has random P-8 fault codes and when it does work, the welding out put shuts off everytime the cooling fan cycles, whether your welding or not, but it can also shut off after every stick run. Then it may run fine for 1-2 days, then back to its antics. It has been looked at by the local authorized service center 4 times, they say, each time they said one of the ribbon cables was loose (other than that they say they can find nothing wrong). I'd get it back and within hours its back to the same old issues. They have it again for the fifth time, I'm extremely frustrated.

As the unit is used in a mobile repair business it see different voltages on a daily basis, issues are the same regardless of voltage input. The vast majority of the welding is done in the 75-125 amp output range, using 6010, 6011 and 7018 rod. The welder rides in a padded secure wood box in the truck, its kept clean and dry and when working properly a joy to work with, but the issues continue.

OK, seen this numerous times and no one can figure it out, it ALL has to do with the strain relief on the back of the unit. Basically it tightens the primary cable way too much, often causing the primary cables to break, and or cause too much electrical noise leading to a help 8

What your going to have to do is remove that strain relief and install a regular steel version with a rubber insert matching the cable and will also have to shorten the primary cable.

You will have to cut it just before it heads into the exsisting strain relief and reattach the cable primary. You can use butt connectors or reattach the assembly completely.

When you remove the cut cable from the old strain relief, you'll know what I mean.

Sorry I did respond earlier, been out of town welding (with a Miller CST 280), thanks for the reply

Input cord has been replaced twice, thats hasn't solved the problem, they are now saying its the front board (with the touch pads). We shall see, obviously I've been told it has been repaired before (more than once).

The cord was replaced twice because it had become damaged. The issues I had since new, continued even after cord changes.

The LWS finally decided that enough was enough, they took the Maxstar 200 SD back. They gave me full credit for what I paid for it 6+ years ago, toward a brand new Miller CST 280. As I used the 200 SD, 99.9% of the time, as a stick welder, the transition to the CST 280, should be effortless.